Majorelle is the kind of room that does the heavy lifting before the food arrives. Step through Jacques Bar — French oak paneling, antiqued mirror ceiling, velvet banquettes — and into the dining room proper: vaulted ceiling, marble columns, a trellised garden with fountains lit from below, and fresh flowers everywhere, in quantities that cross the line from décor into statement. It opened in 2017 inside The Lowell, a 1927 hotel that has never once tried to be downtown. The kitchen runs French classics with a Mediterranean lean — Morocco to the Riviera — and the room matches the ambition.
The Vibe
Low light, well-spaced tables, moderate noise that stays manageable even on a Friday. The garden seating — a greenhouse-like enclave overlooking the outdoor space — is the room's best seat; ask for it. Service is formal without being stiff: attentive, French-inflected, the kind where your water is filled before you notice it needs to be. At 8pm on a weekend the room is full; at 10pm it quiets into something more private.
What to Order
- Foie gras au Sauternes — the classical opener, sweet-rich-fatty in the right proportion; start here before anything else.
- Dover sole or Poulet Grand'Mère — both arrive tableside, which buys you a moment of theatre that fits the room. The sole is the better call.
- Skip the prix-fixe and order à la carte if you can — the three-course structure is fine, but the menu's best moments don't always align with what's pushed on the set menu.
When to Come
A Thursday or Saturday dinner reservation, 7:30pm — early enough to settle in, late enough that the room is full when you arrive. This is an occasion restaurant: right for a first date where you want to impress, better for a third date where you want to linger. Reserve well ahead; the room is small and the regulars know it.
The Bottom Line
If you're going to spend serious money on a French dinner in this city, Majorelle earns it — not for any single dish, but for the full experience of a room that still knows how to make an evening feel like an occasion.